The present invention generally relates to a polishing pad for linear chemical mechanical polishing and method for forming and more particularly, relates to a polishing pad for linear chemical mechanical polishing that is reinforced by reinforcing fillers for improved creep resistance and a method for forming the reinforced polishing pad.
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices from a silicon wafer, a variety of semiconductor processing equipment and tools are utilized. One of these processing tools is used for polishing thin, flat semiconductor wafers to obtain a planarized surface. A planarized surface is highly desirable on a shallow trench isolation (STI) layer, on an inter-layer dielectric (ILD) or on an inter-metal dielectric (IMD) layer which are frequently used in memory devices. The planarization process is important since it enables the use of a high resolution lithographic process to fabricate the next level circuit. The accuracy of a high resolution lithographic process can be achieved only when the process is carried out on a substantially flat surface. The planarization process is therefore an important processing step in the fabrication of semiconductor devices.
A global planarization process can be carried out by a technique known as chemical mechanical polishing or CMP. The process has been widely used on ILD or IMD layers in fabricating modern semiconductor devices. A CMP process is performed by using a rotating platen in combination with a pneumatically actuated polishing head. The process is used primarily for polishing the front surface or the device surface of a semiconductor wafer for achieving planarization and for preparation of the next level processing. A wafer is frequently planarized one or more times during a fabrication process in order for the top surface of the wafer to be as flat as possible. A wafer can be polished in a CMP apparatus by being placed on a carrier and pressed face down on a polishing pad covered with a slurry of colloidal silica or aluminum.
A polishing pad used on a rotating platen is typically constructed in two layers overlying a platen with a resilient layer as an outer layer of the pad. The layers are typically made of a polymeric material such as polyurethane and may include a filler for controlling the dimensional stability of the layers. A polishing pad is typically made several times the diameter of a wafer, in a conventional rotary CMP, while the wafer is kept off-center on the pad in order to prevent polishing a non-planar surface onto the wafer. The wafer itself is also rotated during the polishing process to prevent polishing a tapered profile onto the wafer surface. The axis or rotation of the wafer and the axis of rotation of the pad are deliberately not collinear, however, the two axes must be parallel. It is known that uniformity in wafer polishing by a CMP process is a function of pressure, velocity and concentration of the slurry used.
The polishing or the removal of surface layers is accomplished by a polishing slurry consisting mainly of colloidal silica suspended in deionized water or KOH solution. The slurry is frequently fed by an automatic slurry feeding system in order to ensure the uniform wetting of the polishing pad and the proper delivery and recovery of the slurry. For a high volume wafer fabrication process, automated wafer loading/unloading and a cassette handler are also included in a CMP apparatus.
As the name implies, a CMP process executes a microscopic action of polishing by both chemical and mechanical means. While the exact mechanism for material removal of an oxide layer is not known, it is hypothesized that the surface layer of silicon oxide is removed by a series of chemical reactions which involve the formation of hydrogen bonds with the oxide surface of both the wafer and the slurry particles in a hydrogenation reaction; the formation of hydrogen bonds between the wafer and the slurry; the formation of molecular bonds between the wafer and the slurry; and finally, the breaking of the oxide bond with the wafer or the slurry surface when the slurry particles moves away from the wafer surface. It is generally recognized that the CMP polishing process is not a mechanical abrasion process of slurry against a wafer surface.
While the rotary CMP process provides a number of advantages over the traditional mechanical abrasion type polishing process, a serious drawback for the rotary CMP process is the difficulty in controlling polishing rates and different locations on a wafer surface. Since the polishing rate applied to a wafer surface is generally proportional to the relative velocity of the polishing pad, the polishing rate at a specific point on the wafer surface depends on the distance from the axis of rotation. In other words, the polishing rate obtained at the edge portion of the wafer that is closest to the rotational axis of the polishing pad is less than the polishing rate obtained at the opposite edge of the wafer. Even though this is compensated by rotating the wafer surface during the polishing process such that a uniform average polishing rate can be obtained, the wafer surface, in general, is exposed to a variable polishing rate during the CMP process.
More recently, a new chemical mechanical polishing method has been developed in which the polishing pad is not moved in a rotational manner but instead, in a linear manner. It is therefore known as a linear chemical mechanical polishing process in which a polishing pad is moved in a linear manner in relation to a rotating wafer surface. The linear polishing method provides a more uniform polishing rate across a wafer surface throughout a planarization process for uniformly removing a film layer on the surface of a wafer. One added advantage of the linear CMP system is the simpler construction of the apparatus and therefore not only reducing the cost of the apparatus but also reduces the floor space required in a clean room environment.
A typical linear CMP apparatus 10 is shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The linear CMP apparatus 10 is utilized for polishing a semiconductor wafer 24, i.e., a silicon wafer for removing a film layer of either an insulating material or a wafer from the wafer surface. For instance, the film layer to be removed may include insulating materials such as silicon oxide, silicon nitrite or spin-on-glass material or a metal layer such as aluminum, copper or tungsten. Various other materials such as metal alloys or semi-conducting materials such as polysilicon may also be removed.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the wafer 24 is mounted on a rotating platform, or wafer holder 18 which rotates at a pre-determined speed. The major difference between the linear polisher 10 and a conventional CMP is that a continuous, or endless belt 12 is utilized instead of a rotating polishing pad. The belt 12 moves in a linear manner in respect to the rotational surface of the wafer 24. The linear belt 12 is mounted in a continuous manner over a pair of rollers 14 which are, in turn, driven by a motor means (not shown) at a pre-determined rotational speed. The rotational motion of the rollers 14 is transformed into a linear motion 26 in respect to the surface of the wafer 24. This is shown in FIG. 1B.
In the linear polisher 10, a polishing pad 30 is adhesively joined to the continuous belt 12 on its outer surface that faces the wafer 24. A polishing assembly 38 is thus formed by the continuous belt 12 and the polishing pad 30 glued thereto. As shown in FIG. 1A, a plurality of polishing pads 30 are utilized which are frequently supplied in rectangular-shaped pieces with a pressure sensitive layer coated on the back side.
The wafer platform 18 and the wafer 24 form an assembly of a wafer carrier 28. The wafer 24 is normally held in position by a mechanical retainer, commonly known as a retaining ring 16, as shown in FIG. 1B. The major function of the retaining ring 16 is to fix the wafer in position in the wafer carrier 28 during the linear polishing process and thus preventing the wafer from moving horizontally as wafer 24 contacts the polishing pad 30. The wafer carrier 28 is normally operated in a rotational mode such that a more uniform polishing on wafer 24 can be achieved. To further improve the uniformity of linear polishing, a support housing 32 is further utilized to provide support to platen 22 during a polishing process. The platen 22 provides a supporting platform for the underside of the continuous belt 12 to ensure that the polishing pad 30 makes sufficient contact with the surface of wafer 24 in order to achieve more uniform removal in the surface layer. Typically, the wafer carrier 28 is pressed downwardly against the continuous belt 12 and the polishing pad 30 at a predetermined force such that a suitable polishing rate on the surface of wafer 24 can be obtained. A desirable polishing rate on the wafer surface can therefore be obtained by suitably adjusting forces on the support housing 32, the wafer carrier 28, and the linear speed 26 of the polishing pad 30. A slurry dispenser 20 is further utilized to dispense a slurry solution 34.
A typical polishing pad formation process is shown in a flow chart in FIG. 2. The polishing pad formation process 40 is started by first providing a die cavity and filling the die cavity (step 42) with a polymeric material such as polyurethane. After a continuous belt is casted in the die cavity, the belt is cured at a suitable curing temperature (step 44) for the polyurethane material. In the next step, step 46, the continuous belt is cleaned and finished by removing excessive molding material from the belt surface and by polishing the surface until it is perfectly flat. A plurality of shallow surface grooves is then provided in step 48 on the top surface of the belt. The grooves are formed in a direction that is parallel to a circumferential direction of the belt. In the next process step 50, a window is cut out from the continuous belt in order to allow end point detection of the polishing process. Normally, a 1xe2x80x3 diameter section of the polyurethane belt is removed to form the window. In a final step 52 of the process, the continuous belt formed is inspected and finally cleaned.
In the conventional linear polisher 10, the continuous belt 12 is under constant tension exerted by the pair of rollers 14 such that the belt 12 is tightly stretched over the rollers 14 for conducting the polishing process. Since the continuous belt 12 is normally formed of a polymeric material, such as polyurethane, which is subjected to viscoelastic creep after prolonged usage, the belt 12 becomes loose under the high tensile stress. As a result, the lifetime of a polishing pad is not only limited by pad wear, but also limited by the pad deformation. The creep or excessive elongation of the continuous belt contributes to polishing pad failure if not prevented.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad that does not have the drawbacks or shortcomings of the conventional polishing pad for use in linear chemical mechanical polishing.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad that is reinforced by a reinforcing filler that is added to a polymeric material used in forming the pad.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad reinforced by a reinforcing filler selected from a reinforcing fiber, a reinforcing whisker and a non-woven fiber mat.
It is another further object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad reinforced by a reinforcing filler wherein the reinforcing filler is a long fiber or chopped fibers.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad reinforced by a reinforcing filler wherein the filler is coated with a wetting agent.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad that is reinforced by at least 10 weight % of a reinforcing filler.
It is still another further object of the present invention to provide a continuous loop polishing pad reinforced by a reinforcing filler which has an aspect ratio of at least 10.
It is yet another further object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating a polishing pad in a continuous loop that is reinforced by a reinforcing filler for achieving improved creep resistance.
In accordance with the present invention, a polishing pad for linear chemical mechanical polishing that is reinforced by a reinforcing filler added to the pad material and a method for forming the pad are disclosed.
In a preferred embodiment, a method for fabricating a polishing pad in a continuous loop reinforced by a reinforcing filler can be carried out by the operating steps of providing a die that has a cavity in the shape of a continuous loop defined by an inner die face and an outer die face; applying a reinforcing filler which has an aspect ratio of at least 10 on the inner die face, the filler is oriented substantially in a circumferential direction of the continuous loop; filling the cavity partially with a polymeric material encapsulating the reinforcing filler to form a sub-layer of the polishing pad; and filling the cavity completely with a polymeric material laminating to the sub-layer forming the polishing pad.
The method for fabricating a polishing pad in a continuous loop reinforced by a reinforcing filler may further include the step of conducting a first curing process on the sub-layer and a second curing process on the polishing pad. The method may further include the step of forming surface grooves of an outer surface of the continuous loop polishing pad in a direction parallel to a circumferential direction of the loop. The method may further include the step of applying a reinforcing filler selected from the group consisting of reinforcing fiber, reinforcing whisker and non-woven fiber mat. The method may further include the step of providing a die that has a cavity in the shape of a circular loop, or the step of cutting an aperture in the polishing pad for end point detection, or the step of filling the cavity with a polyurethane material. The method may further include the step of applying a reinforcing filler coated with a wetting agent on the inner die face, or the step of applying a reinforcing filler that is long fiber or chopped fiber, or the step of filling the cavity by a die casting process.
The present invention is further directed to a continuous loop polishing pad that is reinforced by a reinforcing filler which includes a sub-layer defining an inner diameter of the polishing pad that contains a reinforcing filler with an aspect ratio of at least 10, the reinforcing filler is oriented substantially in a circumferential direction of the continuous loop, and a top layer laminated to the sub-layer having a top surface defining an outer diameter of the polishing pad, wherein the sub-layer and the top layer are formed of a polymeric material.
In the continuous loop polishing pad that is reinforced by a reinforcing filler, the reinforcing filler may have a wetting agent coated on top, the reinforcing filler may be selected from the group consisting of reinforcing fiber, reinforcing whisker and non-woven fiber mat. The polymeric material may be polyurethane or any other suitable polymer, while the sub-layer may contain at least 10% by weight, and preferably 20% by weight of the reinforcing filler. The top layer does not contain any reinforcing filler. The top surface of the top layer may further include groves formed in a direction parallel to a circumferential derection of the loop. The reinforcing filler may be long fiber or chopped fiber, or a non-woven fiberglass mat.